Julien Sharp, General Manager & Country Manager, U.S., Asmodee, discusses the state of the gaming business, the increase in licensed titles, and tips for specialty retailers in this extended edition of The Toy Book’s 2023 State of the Industry Q&A roundtable. Want more insight from the all-stars of the toy industry? Click here to explore this year’s lineup!
The Toy Book: Having joined Asmodee recently, what’s your first order of business to expand the company’s footprint in the U.S.?
Julien Sharp: We are developing a new internal team structure with smart channel planning in mind. We sell some of the most interesting games in the world between our own internal studios and the many external studios under distribution contracts with us, and our efforts are focused on getting the right games to the right retail outlets for the target consumer.
TB: With gaming coming down from the pandemic sales boom, how is Asmodee keeping the category fresh for retailers and gamers?
JS: Gaming is certainly rightsizing, but it’s actually up from pre-pandemic numbers per The NPD Group. This is exciting and shows that we have kept some of the “new” game players. One of our core tenets is to continue to build the gaming community through digital and in-person interaction, a steady supply of new games, and continued efforts to grow the audiences of our pillar games such as Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Spot It!
TB: Licensed titles have become a bigger part of Asmodee’s product mix in recent months. How will this expand going forward?
JS: It’s so exciting to see continued growth in this area and provide games to the fans of so many different licensed properties, including Star Wars, Marvel, and many more. This summer, Star Wars: Shatterpoint will launch, and it’s incredible to see the chatter online from the fans as they start to see what is coming in the box. It’s been really nice to see the success of our Squid Game and Stranger Things: Attack of the Mind Flayer games at Walmart these past few months. We are gaming enthusiasts at heart and our teams develop gameplay that strongly ties into the core of each license.
TB: What advice would you give to retailers that are looking to expand their game assortments?
JS: I think the best way for a smaller retailer to expand game assortments is by working with a distributor that allows them to “try” so many games without committing to a full case pack. That’s why I love being at this end of the business; our sales teams can literally curate an assortment of games, even down to one or two of each, allowing a store to dip their feet into new titles to see what works for them.
TB: What are your predictions for the state of the toy and game industries in the months ahead?
JS: I’m feeling pretty optimistic about 2023. Barring any surprises that no one could predict at this time, it seems that the whirlwind of the last three years is starting to calm down, and we can focus on steady growth while having the time to devote to finding and creating better and better products for our target audiences.
A version of this Q&A was originally published in the 2023 edition of The BIG Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!
